Smyrna times., 1887-03-02
TENEMENT CIGARS.
SlCkENlNG SCENES AMONG THE
CITY'S ClGARMAKERS.

Helen Campbelrs story of the Children
at Work in the Tenement Houses of
New York-Disease and Death in tho
Leaf.
1t is to the cigar making trcGc that
women and girls turn during tic dull
season, and one finds in it representatives
from every trGdc in which women are en-
gaGcd. The ccwing women cmTlC.Cd in
suit and clothing mGnufactorCi curing
the busy season have no resource ave
this, and thus prices are kept down and
the regular cigarmal5ers cOnstaut-y re-
enforced by the irregular. In tie resent
case it was chiefly with regular L.;l.crs
that the house wG3 filed. Gle ICON, u
little less than twelve by forltccn feet,
holding a family Of GCvCn TCIsCIe. three
Of them children under 10, I'll lIls. To-
baccO lay in piles Oh the flCCf cl.l under
the long table ct one end wEcc / G cigars
were rolled, its rank ailcll CiI.- :iating
that from the sinks and from &c general
filth, not only CT this room Lat Cf the
hOuse as q ThCle Two CT the children
sat on the floor stripping the leaves, and
another on small stCcl a ciIl Ct 20 sat
near them, and all afke had sores on lips
and cheeks and on the hands.
TIE LITTLE TOTS At wO.E.
Children from or 6 year; I:p can be
taught to strip and thus add 10 tic week 8
income, which is far less for the tenement
house manufacture than for REGULAR fac
tory work, the latter averaging GCm So
to $12 week. But the work if done at
home can be made to include the entire
family, and some 4, GOO women are engaged
in it, an almost equal but unregistered
number Of young children sharing it with
them. AS in sewing, n number OF women
often club together, using one room. and
in such cases their babies crawl about in
the filth on the wet floors, playing with
the damp tobacco and breathing the poison
with which the roONl is saturated
Here, as in tobacco factories, women
and girls of every age become speedily the
victims of nervous and hysterical COM
plants, the direct result of nicotine poi
sOning, while succeeding these come con-
sumption and throat diseases resulting
| from the dust. Cankcr is ono Of the most
| frequent difficulties, and sores Of many
orders, the trade involving more dangers
than any that can 5e chCscp. Yet M cause
an entire family can find cccuration in it.
with no necessity for leaving lcme. it is
| often preferred to easier employment. 1t
/ is the children who suffer mo. (. t,rewth
being stunted, nervous disease dcveloped
and ending often in St. Vitus' dance. and
skin diseases Of every order being the rule,
the causes being not only tobacco, but tho
filth in ;shich they live
THE POISON or PREPARATION.
IL IS doubtful if the most inveterate
smoker would feel much relish for the
cigar manufactured under fuch condi.
tlons, yet hundreds Of thOu IS 70 out
yearly from these houses, Lca. ..:i cvery
leaI the poison Of their prcIt4. ..sa. In
TINS one house nearly thirty tyCii- q Of all
ages ard sizes, babies lrCCoi mating
rolled III the tobacco which covered tbf
noor and was piled in every d;r,ct ,a, and
OF these children under 10 tin,. u were
strippers and did their days ,rrk ot
ten hours and more. Physical a. ,nera
tlon in its worst forms become ia, table
Even the factory childworker T. n, s, otter
Tor In the factory there is cXcycs. end tn,
going to and from work, whi.e in 4 q ten
ement house cigar making tic lCrn ouf
little creatures crawl to the bed Otter
only pile Of rags in the corr or. or Il,
doWn on heap Of the Tobacco itself
breathing the poison day and night unin
vices OF every order flourish in such air
and morality in this trade is at the loves
eDD. Nervous excitement is so intens
mat necessarily nothing but immoralit,
can Fesnlt, and the child Of or 10 Is a
gross ana confirmed an offender as the full
crown man or woman. Diligent searcl
discovers few exceptions TO this rule. an,
the whole matter has reached a stag
where legislative interference Is abseluteI'
indispensable. Only in forbiddinQ tene
ment house raanufacture absolutely cal
there be any safety for either. consumer d
producer. Helen Campbell IN New Yorl
nCotia,sr,,, ~, - -, .4,l,s,.a.. =. .